"Whether it's lunch in the cafeteria, mud in the playground, or arts and crafts at school, shmutz clings to Shmutzy Girl like metal to a magnet."

LOS ANGELES--Matzah Ball Books makes its debut July 1, 2004, with Shmutzy Girl, the first in a series of Yiddish-inspired children's picture books.

Consistent with an upsurge of endeavors to preserve Yiddish and Jewish culture, Matzah Ball Books was created to give children access to, understanding of and affinity for Yiddishisms. These fun and lively picture books, written and designed by Anne-Marie Baila Asner, put the joy and color of Yiddish into a form young people adore.

Written in English, each Matzah Ball book is named for a character with a Yiddish word that describes a central attribute of his or her personality. In each story, the protagonist learns a lesson connected with his or her namesake trait. For example, Shmutzy Girl, who is always dirty, learns to accept herself, shmutz and all; Kvetchy Boy learns when to complain and when not to; Shluffy Girl learns to schedule her life around her naps; and Noshy Boy learns which snacks are healthy and which are not.

Other titles in Matzah Ball Books' ambitious 30-book lineup include Kibbitzy Girl, Tushy Girl and Shleppy Boy, as well as those based on adult characters, Mrs. Mitzvah, Mr. Fedraid, and Bubbe and Zaide Kvelly. Look for Klutzy Boy this spring.

Author Anne-Marie Baila Asner was born in Toronto, Canada, and raised in San Diego, California. She has written for the Jewish Observer, the Jewish Family Life teen Web site, MzVibe.com and the Anti-Defamation League, and her work has been featured on JewishAustralia.com. Ms. Asner holds a master's degree in Psychology from Brandeis University, where she also taught Sunday school for the Brandeis Jewish Education Program. She is one of five grandchildren to her Yiddish-speaking bubbe. Ms. Asner resides in Los Angeles.